How To Clean Teak Furniture

Teak furniture has a rich, golden honey color. Made with tropical hardwood, the furniture often has its beautiful color changing to a silver grey patina, with the passage of time. Though the color change does not affect the strength and durability of the piece, it does gives your teak furniture a whole new look. However, if you want to maintain the golden honey color, it is recommended that you clean your teak furniture at least once in a month. As it is, monthly cleaning is important to take good care of your furniture, especially the ones kept in the outdoors. Moreover, if the furniture is made of teak, the cleaning part becomes all the more necessary.

Teak is a unique wood that, if left in its natural state, would retain its durability. Virtually maintenance free, it does not require much protection, as compared to other woods. It can survive even the most extreme weather conditions. Because of this quality only, it is mostly preferred as outdoor furniture. Though it is the strongest among all other types of furniture items, teak furniture still needs to be cleaned and maintained, so that the life of the wood is enhanced for as longer a time as possible. Using proper techniques to clean, maintain, restore, preserve and enhance teak will make the task easy and it will not take up too much time also. Follow the tips given below and know how to clean teak furniture

Cleaning Your Teak Furniture

Clean you teak furniture with a dry piece of a cloth at first, to remove any kind of dirt and build up.
Now, take 3:1 mixture of a mild laundry detergent and bleach, in water. Clean the furniture with a help of a soft bristle brush and bleach solution.
If you have severely weathered teak or cracks in the wood, you might need to clean the furniture a couple of times, in order to remove the dirt. Use a stiff bristled brush for the purpose, as it always makes the job easier.
After it is clean, leave the furniture to dry in natural light, until all the water on its body gets evaporated.
Once the teak furniture is dry, it will be easier to notice if there are any areas that may need additional cleaning. Clean those areas before proceeding further.
Now, apply a teak sealant or teak oil on your furniture. Teak sealer is often recommended to preserve the natural honey color, or to darken the color, of the wood. It also contains UV protection that saves the wood from graying as well as prevents it from fungal infection.
Apply teak sealant using a plastic spray bottle, foam brush or a simple rag cloth.
In the first coat, apply the sealant everywhere on your teak furniture.
Let the first coat dry for 1 to 3 hrs and then repeat it with another coat. At least two coats of the teak sealant are recommended to maximize its efficiency.
Now, let the teak sealant dry well. Your teak furniture would be ready to use after it is completely dry.

Note

The second coat of teak sealant has to be applied on the same day as the first one. To give it a professional look, make sure to use gentle, even strokes.

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